The present invention relates generally to the injection molding of plastics and, more particularly, to a plastic housing having a hinge in the form of a deformable lamina which is integrated with first and second thermoplastic enclosing members during the injection of the plastic material.
In the past, in the manufacture of hinged plastic housings, tile top and bottom enclosing members, as well as the hinge therebetween, have all been molded in one plastic piece. The width and/or thickness of the plastic hinge between the top and bottom enclosing members is reduced thereby making the section flexible to enable the movement of the top enclosing member relative to the bottom enclosing member for opening and closing the housing. A problem with this housing is that the reduced width and/or thickness of the hinge section results in a weakened area which will gradually fatigue from repeated opening and closing of the housing until tile section finally fails.
In addition, in the past, in order to attach a decorative covering or lining to a plastic housing which is made of fabric, vinyl or other deformable material, it has been necessary to glue or otherwise adhesively bond the material to the plastic enclosing members in a separate step, after the plastic enclosing members have been molded. Such an additional step is labor intensive and time consuming thus making for an expensive process. Furthermore, the glue often releases after time resulting in an undesired appearance and an inferior product. In addition, many materials are not adhesively compatible with plastic to be securely bonded therewith by gluing.
The difficulties in the prior art housings and processes of manufacture are substantially eliminated by the present invention.